People who are responsible for the care of special needs groups must prepare for and respond to emergency situations. Special needs groups include (but are not limited to) people with physical or cognitive disabilities, seniors, nursing homes and residential facilities (for children or adults) and prisons. The links below will get you started on emergency planning for your facility or the special people with whom you work and /or live.
If you are involved with a particular facility or organization that serves a special population, you can probably find additional information on emergency preparedness by contacting the relevant professional association. For example, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging is a resource for nursing home or senior center facilities. Another resource is the state or federal agency that regulates your facility.
The Los Alamos County Office of Emergency Management is available for advice and direction in your organization’s emergency planning process. Contact us at 662-8283 or 662-8290.
GENERAL
This new NM Department of Health web page has resource links for various categories of special needs populations, including materials in Spanish for our border populations.
https://www.ready.gov/individuals-access-functional-needs
Info for people with disabilities in the wake of a disaster:
http://www.accessiblesociety.org/
RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES
Essentials of an emergency plan for any kind of residential facility (nursing home, adult day care, etc.):
A host of resources for emergency planning for long-term residential care facilities can be found by reading and scrolling down this web page:
http://www.onwellness.info/0-services-disaster/